


Castle of Hell - Sword Art Online Fanfiction

by Jilly1504



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Castle of Hell, Death and Suffering, Don't expect much canon, F/M, Lots of Character Suffering, No sexy times here bois, Not Canon Compliant, Sword Art Online Rewrite, multiple POVs, sao, sfw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 12:19:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18738886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jilly1504/pseuds/Jilly1504
Summary: Bao and Misaki Ito may have been 4 years apart, but they had one common love - video games. Especially MMOs. They'd make friends, lose friends, fight, and battle over the virtual realities. If given the chance, that would be their reality.When the new hit title Sword Art Online hits shelves, and Bao manages to get 2 copies, all their fantasies have come to life. It's everything they've ever hoped, ever wished for. That is, until, they can no longer log out.Follow Bao, Misaki, and other original characters as they try to escape Castle Aincrad and the hell it unleashes.Note: This will NOT follow canon much, and will not feature any characters you know and tolerate from the original anime/manga series. This story features my own characters and my own series of events. Much of what you know may not apply - don't tell me I'm wrong. Think of it as a retelling, almost. Mostly because I don't like the writing of SAO that much to adhere to Akihiko's nonexistent motivations and the strange rules of Aincrad. I will keep what I can remember off the top of my head though. Enjoy!





	1. Launch Day

**Misaki's POV**

 

The sun was high in the sky as I arrived, my many bags in hand, at my home. A small smile, a sigh. It had been so long since I'd been here last, ever since I left for university. Everything was the same - the same cars in the driveway, the same garden out front. The same neighbors and their yappy dogs. One thing, however, was different. My little brother, running out of the door to greet me. I smile wider. "Judging by the fact that you aren't crying in the lawn right now, I assume you got them?" 

My little brother ran faster than I've ever seen him down the drive, waving two copies of the newest release. "Barely. I was one of the last in the line to get it," He says, panting and out of breath. God, even the packaging was beautiful. "Just all we've ever wanted, no need to thank me."

I shove him lightly, messing up his hair, "Thank you, Bao, you dork. Now, does Mom know you skipped class for a video game?" I mimic our mother's stern tone, making Bao burst into fits of laughter as he shakes his head, smiling like a fiend. I gasp overdramatically, rolling my eyes at myself. "You know, this game is totally worth it." 

"C'mon, Mom's waiting. No need to stand out here and talk," He says, walking back up towards the side entrance to the house. I smiled before running to catch up to him. "You only say that because you can't stand to be outside for more than a minute and a half." We both laugh, but manage to stifle it enough as we walk inside. 

As I enter the house I've lived in all my life, I'm hit with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. I never realized how lonely I was at university until this moment. Mom was in the kitchen, already preparing for dinner. "Misa? You're home late," She says from the kitchen. Pulling off my shoes, I shake my head. Public transportation was late, not me. But I wouldn't argue now. Walking into the kitchen, I wrap Mom in a tight hug, smiling. "I'm cooking!" She shouts, shooing me away despite her smile.

I could see the age beginning to wear on her - the gray striping her black hair and the wrinkles at her forehead. "I'm glad to be home, Mom. What're you cooking?" I ask, sitting on the counter. She shakes her head but doesn't scold me to get down. "Only the best for my daughter," She answers vaguely. A surprise, then. She peppers me with questions about university, all that I answer truthfully. I'm doing good enough to not have to lie. 

Soon enough, I'm released from the heat-filled torture chamber that is the kitchen, plopping down on the couch next to and partially on top of Bao. "Hey!" He shouts, pushing me away, laughing. We both shush as the news resumes, and a story about the insane lines that Sword Art Online created at downtrodden game stores caused. "I'm on this one," Bao smiles as he recognizes the reporter. She was a fairly pretty woman, of course Bao would remember her.

"Today is the legendary release of the first VRMMO RPG Sword Art Online, the release title for the first full-dive gear the NerveGear!" The announcer was clearly reading off of a script, and she had no clue what any of the words meant. "The creator, Akihiko Kayaba, has agreed for an interview today at 2:30!" I glance at the clock - in fifteen minutes. 

The feed shifts to the reporter going down the line, talking to the lines of dweebs and dorks, one of which is my brother. He and the reporter talked about why he was waiting in line - for two copies of SAO - and how long he'd been in line - 5 hours and counting. Soon the camera moved away from Bao, and the light faded from his face. I laughed, "You were on TV for 4 whole minutes - a true star." Bao shakes his head and shoves me with his shoulder. 

A hush falls over the living room as the TV switches to Akihiko Kayaba. He was on the news - a rare occurrence indeed - and looked absolutely dead. "He looks like he hasn't slept in a month and a half," Bao jokes quietly. It was true - the bags under his eyes would make baggage claim at airports spin and more like bruises and shadows - and he seemed to be hunched in on himself. His clothes, while professional, were rumpled. "Mr. Akihiko, it is so good to have you on our channel. What inspired you to have SAO be a limited release?" The interviewer asks.

Akihiko smiles, and his face lightens. "I wanted to call back to my childhood, when you had to go out to the local game corner and buy your games, and when they ran out, they were out. Also, the servers aren't stable enough yet to support everyone in the world, so it was best this way to prevent a horrid fallout." He seemed awkward in his words and in the real world. A game developer indeed.

The interview continued on with dull questions about costs and stable servers. The interview ended with a reminder to all gamers that the servers were to go online in 15 minutes. Bao and I looked at each other with sparkling eyes, and he practically leaped out of the chair into his room.

His room was similar to how it normally was - with manga and light novels scattered everywhere and hiding his cram school books on his desk - except for the mass of blankets and an air mattress on the bed. "Figured it would be better for us both to be in the same room. I read some horror stories about people being unable to get back into the real world, so if we were both here and one of us experiences it, we could help each other, y'know?" He rambled as dug the NerveGears from underneath blankets and empty water bottles. "Here ya go!" He hands it to me with a bright grin. 

I take it, holding it tightly. "Five more minutes," I say, watching the clock on his computer. "You know anyone in game?" 

Bao's face goes bright red, "One. She's an older student at school, and she was a beta tester." Envy ran through me - Bao and I both applied to beta test, and neither of us got it. "She told stories about Aincrad at breaks."

One minute - we put on the NerveGears, laying down on the beds. Thirty seconds and my heart was racing, pounding out of my chest. One second, and I took a deep breath. It was time, "Link start!" We both said, and the real world faded.

~~~~~

**Bao's POV**

 

The character creation page was absolutely insane. I was only a mind, a thought, as I scrolled through page after page of outfits, hairstyles, and basic armor and weaponry. A color wheel for skin, eyes, hair, and outfit colors. There were preset faces, but you could either scan your own or mold the face like clay. My character was much taller than I, with much nicer hair and better looks. That's all that the avatar matters for. Even in the customization stage, the graphics on this game amazed me. They were insanely realistic. 

Soon enough, I had a completed character. Messy black hair, mysterious blue eyes, freckles, and a tunic and basic armor. No tools were worth it - they all were to be unlocked later - so I just added a belt for later. Add on some basic pants and steel-toed boots and I was ready. Forcing my consciousness towards the OKAY button, I pressed it with earnest. 

A sudden feeling of whiplash burst through my body as light floods my vision. Blinking my eyes open, I see the world of Aincrad. My breath stops dead in its tracks and I just stare at the beginner's plaza. The sun was high in the sky, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. All around me, people were walking around, talking, typing on barely visible keyboards, or simply staring in awe. I stared down at my own gloved hand - it seemed so real. 

"Hey! Bao!" A known voice breaks me out of my state of amazement, and I turn to see a familiar sight. My sister. She always dresses the same in every game, not to mention her same username - Yorui. I smile and walk over to her. In this world, I was taller. "You take forever to make a character, y'know?" She laughs. "I try to look a little different," I say. Misa always dresses the exact same way - a corseted top that shows off way more than I am able to comment on, light armor, a belt for her weaponry, and a high-low style skirt. I internally roll my eyes - I only know this after being corrected in the past thirty MMOs about her outfit choices. She had on white knee-high boots, too. 

We walk through the plaza, digging through every bit of the game we can. We can only stay for about two hours before Mom will be done with dinner. We buy our classic starter weapons - with me taking a short sword and Misa a short rapier. The prices were stupidly high for weak weapons, and we only had about a quarter of our currency left. "I wonder if we'd need food in here," I ask aloud, hand over my new weapon. It was an ugly thing, with no decorations and a simple cotton sheath, but it would do the job. Misa shrugs and sits down on a fountain, letting the sun hit her face.

I push her into the fountain, and she kicks me in the legs. "You do not want to go right now!" She shouts, punching me. People stare, but I don't even offer them a glance back. This was my life. Some people may think it's weird how Misa and I act, but it's always been this way in games. She jumps up, sword in hand. "You have no skills either, smartass." I grin, staring at her in a clear challenge. Instead of taking my bait and maybe letting me win, she grabs my leg and pulls hard.

Falling backward into the fountain, I let out a - totally not girly - scream and suddenly am engulfed in water. In my peripheral vision, I see a small bar counting down how much time I have left before I begin to drown.  Pushing my body up, I splash Misa. She shoves me under again, and I manage to beat her with a little struggle. "Level one sucks," She sighs, pushing herself up and out of the fountain, her outfit soaked. "C'mon, we don't have all day," She calls after me. 

The two of us - both soaking wet after our fight in the fountain - make our way to the outskirts of town where the mobs spawn. Already there are people fighting the lower level monsters closest to town, and even a few people fighting far out in the fields - probably beta testers. Briefly, I wonder if Azima-Senpai is out here but brush that thought away before I can find out if avatars can blush. 

Misa and I form a party, with a promise of dueling once we were at higher levels. We worked together to fight the low-level mobs that were shockingly hard. After three, I was panting. "Hey Misa, I'm taking a break. Don't get yourself killed, I'd hate to make the walk back to respawn," I shout, sitting down on a rock. She shakes her head, sitting next to me. "Lazy," She chides, "we're not even level 2!"

Laying down, I check my HUI for the time. "Ten more minutes or Mom'll have our head!" I say. Misa shrugs, "She can wait another half hour. I heard there's an event at 5:30, and you have to be present to be part of it." I bite my lip, Mom won't like that. "Dude, I heard Akihiko would be there." That caught my interest, and I opened my eyes, that must have been bulging out of my head. "But Mom..."

Misa shakes her head, "Lighten up a little! Since when did you care so much about what Mom thought?" She asks. 

"You," I say, standing up, "are a terrible influence." She laughs, nodding. Stretching out my aching - yet somehow virtual - muscles, I watch as a few more mobs spawn. "Betchya I can't beat that one all on my own." I point my sword at a slightly higher level monster - about level 4 to my level 2. It was smaller than me, and looked almost like a boar. Misa shakes her head, "How much money?" I cross my arms, tapping my foot. "Five bucks."

Misa grins wildly, "You're on." Mustering as much over-cocky swagger as I can, I waltz over to the boar-creature like it doesn't terrify the everloving shit out of me. Sword in hand, it aggros me first, running full speed for the first hit. I barely manage to dodge as I swing, barely scraping it. Two hit points off of the thing. "What a beast," I mutter to myself, preparing for another attack. Predictably, it runs at me again. This time, I notice it comes to a complete stop before it turns, it can't turn while running. I smile, my advantage found. 

When it reaches me, I wait for it to stop and turn, then I tackle it. All my body weight is thrown onto the beast as I stab at it, laughing as I wrestle with a boar of all things. It manages to stay down, though, and with enough stabs it dissolves into a thousand blue specks. Misa claps sarcastically, "Only took you twenty minutes." I shake my head, out of breath and sweaty in this virtual world. Who knew real-world activity levels would transfer to the game? I laugh at myself, it's just because I'm so low leveled. In the corner of my vision, I can see I managed to level up from that encounter and got some smithing item to make armor. 

Misa and I mess around, waiting for the event. As 5:30 comes and goes, I finally stop fighting and goofing off. "We should really get going, Misa. Mom's probably worried." This time, my sister agrees, swiping her hand to get the menu up. I do the same and locate the log-out button, exactly where it should be. Except it isn't. Where the button was just a half-hour ago was now grayed out, unable to select. "Hey... isn't the button here?" My voice was shaking as I glanced up at Misa's pale face. Shit. 

I can barely feel my body as it is transported away.

 


	2. Fate Sealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misa and Bao were supposed to be out of the game at 5:00. So when 6:00 passed and they still weren't, their mom decided to do some investigation...
> 
> Trigger warning: This chapter will include a graphic depiction of a main POV character having a panic attack as well as an unnamed character committing suicide. If you don't want that, skip Misa's POV. There'll be a summary at the end in the notes.

**Mom's POV**

It was 6:05, and that was worrying me. The kids promised they'd be out and ready to eat before their father came home, and he gets home at 6:35. We were going to have a nice family dinner together since Misaki was home. But I knew better than to burst into the room and rip it off their heads - they could get sick and that would spoil dinner. Watching the clock as I pace the room, I break down and turn on the news. Something must be keeping them up. 

My heart stops dead in my chest as I turn on the news in the middle of a story. Legs shaking, I stare at the screen as I slowly turn the volume louder and louder, hoping the louder it got the less it would be true.

"According to multiple sources, the hit new full dive VRMMO game Sword Art Online is unable to be entered or exited. Information can still get out for those who have a beta account and have that connected to a streaming service. Here is a clip from a popular streamer..." The words fade out of my ears and I fall, shattering into a million pieces.

The clip rolls on TV. The audio was grainy and hard to hear, but all I could see was a shakey, red figure. 50,000 men, women, and children in a plaza, all transforming at once. Raucous noise. All I could do was crawl closer to the screen, hair covering my vision, searching for a hint of my babies. Misaki, Bao. Bao, Misaki. "My children!" My voice was hoarse and raw as the streamer's camera shifted rapidly from left to right, and I saw a flash of faded magenta hair, of my son's strong nose. I paused the screen, hand resting on their blurry and out of focus figures.

I could barely hear the reporter as he said to not remove the children from their set-ups, as that was guaranteed death. The only way to get them back was for them to win the game. And if they died in the game...

A low moan broke through the halls, and for a moment, I swore my children were safe and awake, that it had all been a bad dream. I ran towards Bao's room, knocking over a glass of water as my feet and hands struggled to move. I burst down the unlocked door and saw my babies laying there, a blissful sleep with that infernal device on their heads. Wringing my hands to keep from ripping it off, I slowly moved out of the tomb, realizing the moan was still going on.

Am I crazy? Is there a spirit, a demon? Are my children already dead? The moan turns into a wail. 

The front door opens slowly, and the wail continues. "Make it stop," I whisper. It won't. It echoes in my head, in my heart. When I'm lifted off the ground, I'm convinced it is whatever god is listening, moving me into the afterlife to wait for my children. Strong arms wrapped around me and I opened my eyes. It was my husband Katsuo. "Honey, please calm down. I got you, I got you," He repeats, voice calm and soothing.

That's the moment I realize the wail was from my own voice. "T-the kids..." I can hardly think as I sob into his shoulder, shaking violently. "They were in Sword Art Online, weren't they?" His voice was so silent, filling the emptiness just barely. A drop of water to fill a dried out ocean. All I could muster to answer was a weak nod. 

Katsuo swears, holding me tighter. "Masami..." His voice was raw and quiet as he held me tight. I wasn't sure if he'd ever let go, or if I ever wanted him to.

Soon enough the night went on and more information fell out of the few streamers playing the game. Most of them were sleeping at this point. Katsuo managed to drag us to the TV, turning on the news and watching with dead eyes. "Specific hospitals are setting up wings for the influx of SAO vegetables coming. These are the locations-" His words were cut off by Katsuo's scream as he chucked the remote at the wall, shutting off the TV. "My children are not vegetables," He growled.

An ambulance arrived and the two were rushed to one of the SAO-friendly hospitals. They were barely disconnected from their set-ups for a moment, the ambulance had already been equipped with outlets to plug it all back in. Numbness overtook me as I sat in the back of Misa's ambulance, Katsuo in Bao's. All I could do was stare at my daughter, my 19-year-old daughter. She's never looked so small.

Blankets wrapped around my shoulders, a mug of bitter coffee in my hand. I barely tasted it as I drank it all in two large swigs. My husband sat in one of the chairs while I paced, waiting for a doctor. I knew that wouldn't happen - the doctors only came into the SAO unit if they needed to. Too many of them knew someone in the incident. The blinding fluorescent lights on the ceiling burned at my eyes, but I didn't turn them off.

My world was dark enough.

~~~~~

**Misaki's POV**

In the middle of the streets, I could still hear people screaming in the plaza. But Bao and I didn't waste our time on screams of our fate for the streamers, of begging and bribing them to send messages out to the real world. We just ran. What else could we do?

My heart was pounding out of my chest when we stopped in an alley. The world was blurry around the edges and I could barely register what was going on. I couldn't feel, couldn't taste, couldn't smell. Knees buckling, I managed to shift into a sitting position and hide my face in my knees. "Fuck..." My voice was weak and stuttering and the air couldn't come fast enough. I tried to remind myself, in and out, but nothing worked.

In and out. Faster. Faster. More, more air. Can never get enough. Need more. Want more. My peripheral vision was nearly gone but I could barely see the warning signs flickering in my HUI. Heart rate too high. The words were clear against the blurry world. 

Not real. Nothing was real. My nails were digging into my palm but I got none of the sweet release. No smells, no feeling. It was not real. Unable to grasp reality I watch it slip farther and farther away out of my fingertips. Away from my reach. 

Faintly, I could hear someone talking. It was frantic and urgent, but the words sounded like they were underwater. I curled my head deeper into my knees. Isn't real. Not real. I'm not real. Gasp for air. Air was real.

The scene replayed over and over in my mind. It won't stop. Please stop. "Stop!" I'm not sure if I said that out loud or not. A touch on my shoulder had me flinching away, hurdling myself from them. I couldn't think. Where am I? Why am I here? 

Why?

I'm not sure when, but I soon began to regain the feeling in my body. All I felt was numb and cold, but I felt something against my back. Brick. Count what you can feel - 5 things. Cold, brick, stone, cloth, wood. 4 things you can see. Brick walls, faded purple hair, Bao's face, darkness. Three things you can hear. Faint crying, my breathing, Bao's breathing. "God, Misa, you back?" He asks softly, moving closer slowly on his knees. I realize I must have slapped him away. 

My tongue was lead, so I nodded. "Alright, just... sorry I couldn't help. I...I should have." He leaned his head on my shoulder, shaking. God, did I almost give him a panic attack, too? He didn't move for a while, so all I could do was stare and regain my knowledge of our surroundings. We were in a narrow alley near the closed shopping district, people walking past without noticing us. Who would notice two people crying? It must be so common.

Quietly, Bao begins to cry. He cries sometimes - when he does badly on a test he studied for, when he dies in a game we got really far in. But not like this. This was a somber, mournful weep into my shoulder. "We'll make it out. I promise, Bao." Promises were all I could give, but it still wasn't enough. Promises meant nothing in a prison. 

Eventually, we stood. An understanding between siblings. "What do we do now?" He asks.

"Survive, I guess. I assume we have to eat and sleep, so let's do that. I'm exhausted."

Bao nods somberly before forcing a smile across his face, "You still owe me ten bucks."

Walking into the street on steady legs, I realize the effects of the panic attack didn't hit me as hard. In real life, I wouldn't be able to stand still - my panic attacks could land me in the hospital sometimes. Wiping at my eyes, I barely notice as we pass by the ghosts of the memories from earlier. The fountain where two carefree siblings fought in the water and soaked their clothes because they felt safe. The store where they bought toy weaponry to mess around with.

Suddenly, though, Bao stops entirely. "Fuck." His words sounded coarse as he stared at the blue shards disappearing into the air, flickering away. My heart stops dead in my chest as I realize what had happened. We were near the edge of the city, and someone had jumped into a non-safe zone. 

They died.

"Bao, keep moving. Come on." I tried to pull him away but he wouldn't budge. "Bao, we can't do anything for them. We can't even bury them - we didn't even know their names to remember them. Come on, we need to go." Desperation seeped into my tone as he finally moved, eyes glistening with tears. Wrapping him in a tight hug, I let him cry. We all needed it at this point. 

Just standing there, at the edge of the city, we must have looked crazy. Though, it was most likely entirely normal now. "Misa... I saw him b-before he jumped. He... he looked so young, like my age. God, Misa..." He whispered the words like they would wake the dead. Jesus Christ... the idea of Bao committing suicide in this death game turned my stomach upside down. I nearly hurled my guts up, but I managed to drag Bao away from the scene, barely able to see myself.

It may be because of my tears that I nearly bump into and draw my sword on a player.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this chapter starts in the Mom's POV because A) interesting point of view for this event and B) I cannot for the life of me remember Akihiko's speech outside of SAO Abridged, and I don't want to google it. I'm lazy and have way too many tabs of research open for my personal project. But Mom's POV will not go away after this chapter, we'll check in with her a few times throughout the course of this journey...
> 
> Another thing I'd like to mention: Misa's panic attack was as realistic as I can write it. I've experienced multiple panic attacks in the past that I drew from, but if it isn't entirely accurate, it's because I can't remember those moments clearly. Sorry.
> 
> Misa's POV Summary: After hearing of Akihiko's announcement of the death game, Misa and Bao book it to a hotel, but Misa doesn't make it before breaking down. When she calms down, she and Bao discuss their next move and then encounter a player committing suicide from afar. Blinded by tears and her own fear, Misaki barely realizes as she runs into a mysterious figure...

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! This was a long chapter. About 5 pages. Sorry! My plan is for each chapter to include 2 POV characters at the minimum - the main characters being Bao and Misa. There will be other POV characters, though, coming up soon, but every chapter will meet up with the main siblings.  
> Like I said many times, I'm playing fast and loose with the rules of SAO. Mostly because this is a fun project for some characters that would never get used, and also because the writing wasn't all that good to begin with. We stan a fixer-upper. Grammarly was going absolutely insane during this, so there might be some issues with grammar and sentences. Sorry!


End file.
